


it was one kingdom, once

by edensgrief



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, 半妖の夜叉姫 | Hanyou no Yashahime | Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And angst, But a wee bit dumb, But it's there, F/M, Gen, Happy Ending, I lied, Jealousy, Kirinmaru cute, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, Older Man/Younger Man, Older Man/Younger Woman, Polyamory, Reincarnation, Rin deserves two sexy daiyoukai lovers ok, Rin watches 👀, SesshKiRin, Sesshoumaru and Kirinmaru are hot together, Shameless Smut, Slow Burn, There is now PLOT, there is plot - not much
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:14:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28428384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edensgrief/pseuds/edensgrief
Summary: Mortality is a fleeting, fragile thing; this, Kirinmaru knows too well.OrRin, who has now become Sesshoumaru's mate and wife, suddenly finds herself attracting the affections of another Daiyoukai; one who insists she was once his.What's a girl to do?
Relationships: Kirinmaru (Hanyou no Yashahime)/Rin (InuYasha), Kirinmaru (Hanyou no Yashahime)/Rin/Sesshoumaru (InuYasha), Kirinmaru (Hanyou no Yashahime)/Sesshoumaru (InuYasha), Rin/Sesshoumaru (InuYasha)
Comments: 47
Kudos: 113





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear this story isn’t going to be *as* angsty as this prologue makes it out to be.

Kirinmaru finds her again.

It is the centuries between them that strike at him at first, years of solitude and grieving. He had always known that loving a mortal would bring nothing but grief. They are but fleeting lives; like butterfly wings in the wind, fluttering, until the inevitable shattering against a gale.

He had thought himself prepared for her death, thinking of tender times between them, and the inevitability of her return to him. And so, he was determined to endure, to wait for his beloved's rebirth into the world.

Her name had been "Rin" then, a "bell", befitting a woman with a voice that rang so sweet and clear, the gods would have come down from the sky had she called them; a divine sound that had belonged to him. 

They had still been on the mainland.

He was a ruler borne of two bloodlines; brought to life through the merging of the great central state; ancient in its power, and a younger land; a country born of the rising sun. Thus, he had been born with his nature torn in directions, caught between two lands he yearned to call home.

Nevertheless, he had done his duty. He became a ruler, ascending, exerting his control over the demons of the land. He took many wives and many concubines, as expected of him. He had lovers, and for a time, he had appeased his carnal desires, gorging on the lust of lovers of all species and genders who came to him from all corners of the country. Then came the soul-wrenching bitterness, jaded as he was by his harem; his lovers fighting incessantly for power and for favour in his eyes. 

Thus, he grew disenchanted, tempted to swear off both lust and love.

At the culmination of his most tedious years came a girl, a mortal who tore his cynicism asunder. 

Rin.

She had swept into his life and after, he had found himself unable to love any other. 

She was not a high-bred lady, nor was she a demoness. Rather, she had been a servant, a young woman who loved his imperial gardens. He had found her stealing peaches off his prized tree and in spite of her theft, had begged her to stay, struck by the red in her cheeks. She, a woman on the cusp of entering into the world of men, was immediately enraptured by the great Daiyokai. And so, her blush, so innocent and sweet, had captivated him.

He had fallen in love with her with such tenacity and speed, it had shocked him.

Demons are not known for being quick. When one has all of eternity to contemplate, time merely becomes something to endure; not a river to cross, but rather an abyss to yield to. Thus, demons were not prone to such fleeting matters of emotion as love.

But he had succumbed; drowning in the intensity of the very emotion he had once sworn to discard.

* * *

And now, Rin was back, emerging into the world again.

A new life, a new beginning, he had thought.

But this time, someone else stood by her side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drabble-length series. 
> 
> SesshKiRin is my new OT3. 
> 
> There will be a little bit of plot, a little bit of angst, and a little bit of smut. My favourite trifecta.
> 
> ~~I have fallen into a SesshRin hole and this is exactly why I'm starting - like - a gazillion different stories for them. This is also my foray into threesomes ;) so please let me know if there's actual interest in this throuple. I have more plot bunnies in my head.~~
> 
> \- Much love, Eden


	2. Chapter 2

Rin had an old soul; this, Sesshoumaru had always understood with certainty. When the girl-child had first approached him, gap-toothed and bare-footed, he had thought her so unbearably young. 

But her soul; her soul felt heavy, burdened by the weight of a time unbefitting for a child.

When the wolves ran her down and ripped her apart, it was her soul that stubbornly tried to remain, somehow, as if tethered to the world. As if waiting for something.

And so, when the reapers from the netherworld came to collect her soul, tensaiga had pulsed in his grasp, as if to say " _It is not her time to go; she has a purpose. She is here. She must stay. Her kingdom has yet to come._ " The sword became sentient, driven by some lone thread of sympathy and compassion that had already managed to wrap itself around the two. 

Thus, he obeyed.

Rin came back to life, and into _his_ life.

* * *

The girl-child was a queer little thing. At first, he knew naught of what to do with her, or how to treat her. A demon, a _daiyoukai_ of his calibre, should not be cavorting around with humans, let alone lead along a human _child_. And yet, he found himself drawn to her, unable to explain why. 

Her _soul_ soothed his own. 

Mortality is a fleeting, fragile thing; this, Sesshoumaru knows too well.

Years passed. For him, a decade is but a pebble into a sea; but for her, a decade fled the same way petals drop from a branch; drifting until the inevitable collision. Petals were beautiful, but torn from flower and branch, they never lasted long. 

He watched as the girl-child grew into a beautiful woman. Of course, for a time he had left her in the company of her own kind; for in his eyes, he could not bereave Rin of her humanity. The girl needed to learn to _be_ human. Whether she returned to him would be her choice, and her choice alone. 

Despite his revival of her, he had never presumed to have any claim over her, nor would he want to. Rather, Rin's entrance into his life had done the opposite; for he, walker of a path once open to none, had never been beholden to anyone. And now, he knew, regardless of what choices they made hereafter, he had willingly entwined his own with hers. 

The absence of Rin would mean the loss of part of him as well. 

Her time in the village proved to be greatly beneficial; she, young and clever, soaked in knowledge. Tutored by a monk, a demon slayer, a miko, and his own half-demon brother, Rin became a force to be reckoned with. Her gait, ever confident in her youth, became that of grace to rival even the most elegant of demonesses. The village had also dispelled a wealth of new experiences for the girl. Surrounded by people who lived under the protection of a half-demon, she became comfortable around humans again, though still preferring the company of those odder than the mundanity of mere villagers. 

And yet, all those years spent amidst humans could not wash away the aura of an old soul. Her eyes, unchanging, were still filled with something that spoke of the days of yore.

Souls are an odd thing; impermeable yet precariously delicate, balanced between the rigidity of a butterfly's wings and the rising of the sun in the west. In short, unexplainable, and almost nonsensical to the demon, who largely relied on his own strain of rationality. Whether the gods had some plan in placing Rin's in his path, he could not say. But he was satisfied enough with her presence to leave this mystery alone. 

When Rin approached her eighteenth year, she had asked for one sole gift. Sesshoumaru, who had once again found himself drifting closer and closer to her as the years passed, could not find it within him to refuse her. Thus, when she pleaded with him and begged him to let her accompany him in his wanderings again, he found himself unable, and perhaps unwilling, to turn her away. 

And so, once again, they set off together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is basically Sesshoumaru's POV (aka simpin' over Rin for a couple hundred words) + some little hints/foreshadowing about reincarnation and souls. All that fun, complicated stuff. 
> 
> Rin's POV is next. And Kirinmaru's after her. And THEN we finally get to the juicy parts!  
> Next chapter will be posted soon - I have much of it written already. 
> 
> \- Much love, Eden.


	3. Chapter 3

Rin's first memories of _them_ were filled with confusion.

She remembered flashes of some life that couldn't _possibly_ belong to her; the sweet tang of peaches so shapely, they must have belonged to the divine; the brush of silk against pale, delicate hands that were hers but not hers; the whisper of a foreign language, rolling differently off of her tongue; the feeling of rough, curled hair entangled with her fingertips.

But these memories were so vivid, so familiar to the young girl.

Above all, she remembered a pair of vivid emerald eyes, brimming with sharp wit and tenderness. These eyes haunted her; for they were filled with such sadness.

Then came others, not quite memories, but something that she felt in that same little corner of her soul; a flash of silver reflected on a cold winter stream; a pair of sharp claws brushing through her hair, tender and careful; soft fur surrounding her in comfort, warding off the frigid air of dusk; a crescent moon.

And finally, another pair of eyes appeared in her dreams; they shone like burnished gold and spoke of a will of steel. And yet, they looked at her with tenderness and yearning.

All those echoes were tinged with sadness; yet filled her with some strange, bittersweet feeling. Rin, at her young age, had only heard sweet tales of love; village sweethearts married young and happy, her parents and the slow building of their lives. She knew naught of what love meant, but she couldn't help but think to herself, _if these dreams be true, this must be love._

Her parents had brushed her off; fondly assuming their youngest daughter had heard one too many tales and had let her imagination spin dreams in her head. They were mere peasants, and not prone to flights of fancy, though they indulged their daughter so.

* * *

Long after, when her family is gone and buried, there came that fateful day where she had wandered into the wood, belly hard with hunger and a body full of pain. Something drew her into the grove of trees; something that felt so familiar, and yet so unknown at the same time.

It was a large presence that had permeated the woods, one that spoke of an age-old existence, greatness and glory; and rage.

But it was the rage that had felt different. The rage shouldn't have been there.

And when she finally stumbled across _him_ , in a shape close to man, she had gasped, softly, reverently. _Maybe this is what I've been dreaming about, what I've waiting for_ , murmured a buried part of her. 

Later, when he had first opened his eyes, red-tinted with fury, she _had_ flinched, yes, but that familiarity; of immortality and of foreignness, swept through her and renewed her yearning. For _what_ , she could not tell.

But for the first time since the untimely death of her family, she could dream again.

 _Is this what it feels like to chance upon a god_? she had wondered, naively, not long after their eyes had met. _A fallen god, at that._

_No, not a god. A demon_ , something else whispered in her. _You've been here before._

And so, she came back to demon in the wood, over and over again, drawn to him like a moth to flame.

Then, the wolves came. They tore through the village.

She ran. She hid. She believed that there was _something_ out there, _someone_ , who would save her, who would slay the beasts and lift her _away_.

He arrived to late.

But nevertheless, she came back to life. 

When the demon deigned it time to wander again, she followed without hesitation.

Not long after Sesshoumaru had mated her, she thought it fate that her mother had named her "companion," as if _knowing_ her daughter's importance to come; Rin, thricely given back to the world, became the sole lover of a great daiyoukai, the girl who would accompany him down his path, hand in loving hand. 

* * *

And yet, part of her always remembered the _other_ pair of eyes, and wondered.

She, however, deigned it unnecessary to tell her husband. 

Or least at first.

After all, dog demons were of a jealous sort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kirinmaru! Next chapter! 
> 
> \- Much love, Eden


	4. Chapter 4

The land felt _strange_ to him. Years of being away had shifted the tides and the powers, invoking new threats in the land of the rising sun. There had been great strife in his absence and his land now lay unclaimed. His share belonged to him, once, and would belong to him again, one day.

But that was of no consequence.

At least for now.

He had another purpose to fulfil.

* * *

He had lay in dark and dreaming sleep once; knowing nothing but emptiness. He had grown weary, the weight of years pressing against him; his heart had worn out. Thus, at the urging of his sister, he had decided to rest.

The Great Dog Demon had died years ago. He had heard of the death of his friend and fellow ruler but in his absent state, had neglected to pay his tributes, watching sorrowfully through dreams as his greatest comrade had perished in flames; protecting a mortal lover and a half-breed child.

Kirinmaru had warned him once, right after the death of his Rin. They were younger then and Toga had yet to understand the beauty of mortality; a hardy daiyoukai, brash and passionate to a fault, he had laughed, not unkindly, but had assured Kirinmaru that humans were not of interest to him. He remembered the sympathetic, _pitying_ glance thrown his way as Toga had turned away, walking away from Rin's grave with such assuredness.

Such was the folly of youth.

Time had made Toga devour his words, Kirinmaru observed with some humour, watching through dreaming-sleep as Toga had fallen head-over-heels for a sweet little human girl. Izayoi reminded Kirinmaru of Rin; Like Rin, Izayoi had been on the cusp of womanhood when Toga had swept into her life, a whirlwind of change against the initial hesitance posed by the little mortal. And for a moment in Toga's life, everything had been happy. Kirinmaru had rejoiced, for his friend, like him, had found love in the arms of a human. And he, with his duties to his empire fulfilled, by all accounts, should have been able to live on in contentedness, left alone.

But fate is a cruel mistress and while Toga had grown wiser, he had never been able to leave behind his brashness, nor his willingness to charge into danger. Especially since now, he had something to love.

And so, Kirinmaru had watched him perish in ash and fire, and in his dreams, had mourned.

Toga had left behind a son however; a true heir borne from two great Dog Demon lines. Kirinmaru had met him once. The boy had already been fully grown then. Of slender yet imposing stature, he had been a composed; cold, even. Kirinmaru had thought him fascinating; he had neither his mother's conniving wit, nor his father's brusque temper. And yet, at ten score and some years, he was already a force to be reckoned with.

Sesshoumaru had also been remarkably handsome; of that Kirinmaru could unashamedly admit. Killing _Perfection_ , indeed.

* * *

Now, he was back on the island, standing in front of the land of of the West.

Rin was somewhere here. He could tell; could _feel_ the pulse of her in the land, the echo of her feet against stone.

He had been awoken by the scent of sweet honeysuckle and melon, drifting through his senses like some fragment of a distant, long forgotten memory. Then, came the whispers; echoes of words long gone and notes of songs that once filled his halls.

And suddenly, he knew. His love had returned.

But something in him twisted. And soon, he found himself unable to escape the tinge of bitterness in his heart.

She had _left_ him. What would stop her from doing so again?

His sister always did say nothing good would ever have come from dancing with a mortal.

* * *

He had offered her immortality once; desiring to lift her into something akin to godhood. With wit in hand, he had wanted to trespass purposefully into the other realm, hell-bent on plucking a peach from the tree of immortality for his love. To keep her by his side, nothing would have been too heavy a price.

She had stopped him then. Begging him with trembling hands, she had told him not to lose his soul for her sake.

And so, like a fool, he had obeyed her wishes.

A score of years later, and she was gone, lost to the dregs of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY Y'ALL - The first week back @ uni was living hell 😭.
> 
> Here's a short chapter from Kirinmaru's POV. Next chapter (2nd part of Kirinmaru's POV) will be up in a day ( I have it written - gotta edit!!!). 
> 
> In light of all recent revelations in Yashahime, I've decided to change up a couple of things surrounding Kirinmaru's characterization + Zero's involvement as a villain. ~~Kirinmaru _will_ be a bit of a himbo - aka. thirsting over everyone. He think adult!Sesshoumaru _cute 👀_.~~
> 
> \- Much love, Eden


	5. Chapter 5

He found her.

But this time, fate deigned it necessary to thwart him at every turn.

* * *

  
He had been drawn to the Western lands, pulled by some unknown force. And so, he had followed, obedient to the whims of some fateful force.

Practical matters, however, had to be dealt with first. Being a daiyoukai meant that he was subject to the age-old laws of the land; ones that were written to keep the peace. Thus, the decrees meant that the holders of the land, other great demons, must receive notice of his intent, lest he commit and offence at his trespassing. None of this was particularly disagreeable to him and so he headed towards the Western Palace, a fortress once held by Toga and now the dwelling of his son, Sesshoumaru.

He was pleased; this would prove to be a favourable way of satisfying his curiosity.

Kirinmaru had wondered about the young demon. Rumours spread slow across the sea corridor and to the mainland. But all things on waves inevitably reach shore, and back on the mainland, Kirinmaru had once heard whispers of another folly committed by the strange "yāoguài" in the land of the rising sun; one that sounded awfully familiar.

He had to be curious; after all, Toga had been one of his dearest friends. It seemed that the curse of loving a mortal had been inherited by his son.

_His once human-hating son _, he mused, remembering the fearsome temperament of the young demon who had scoffed and scorned at his father's tolerance. And now... truly, the folly of fathers inevitably passed onto sons.__

__It appeared Sesshoumaru had taken on a human wife._ _

Strangely enough, Kirinmaru felt the the strange feeling intensify as he travelled ; the pull grappled with his conscience in leaping bounds and it seemed to come from the heart of the Western lands. The peculiar aura, for lack of a better word, swept through his mind on a soft wind. It grew stronger and stronger until he could almost taste the familiarity, peach-sweet and delicate.

So it seemed Rin was somewhere in the Western lands.

And soon, a tinge of bittersweet wariness filled his heart.

Nothing in this world is ever a coincidence; this, Kirinmaru knew all too well.

* * *

It was a gentle morning the day he chanced upon her once again.

The early light of dawn had spread over the land, a blanket of soft glow that turned the spring landscape ethereal. A soft breeze blew through, carding through his hair; the land blurred under the tender current, a veritable painting awash with colour. This was a time of peace in the land of the rising sun.

The Western Fortress loomed against a backdrop of beauty; surrounded by pristine lakes and lush forest, it seemed the land had flourished well under Sesshoumaru's hand. The fortress itself was magnificent, an architectural feat that rivalled that of the greatest empires. Crested in glory, it shown under the sunlight, a testament to the greatness of its master.

The true beauty of the place, however, lay in its gardens.

The very same gardens Kirinmaru now found himself striding through.

He had arrived at the gates without much fanfare. The old servants who had once served Toga recognized him from those eons ago and he was escorted in and greeted with joy. And so, the doors swung open to welcome him once more.

Something about the garden touched a part of him; there was a deep familiarity to the place that brushed against the long forgotten crevices of his mind, pressing against him in some bittersweet comfort. It was a kind familiarity and this garden felt saturated in it; tended to with a caring hand. There were ponds filled with fish, red and orange flashes under a landscape of lotus blossoms in bloom. The pathways were charmingly lined with stone and each flowerbed had been pruned with haphazard joy. The garden was rustic, yes, and not particularly befitting of a great demon. But there was such a deep sense of love in every corner, Kirinmaru couldn't help but begin to wonder. And in spite of it all, a sense of foreboding filled him.

And there, strangely enough, in the far distant corner of the garden grew a beautiful grove of peach trees. Despite the season, their branches loomed heavy with fruit, a state of perpetual harvest.

His darkening train of thought was suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a little green imp who thumped and scurried after him. Much to Kirinmaru's amusement, the little demon appeared to be in a greatly agitated state, waving his stubby arms too and fro.

"Kirinmaru-sama" the imp squawked, " it is a delight to welcome you to the Western lands. Unfortunately, Sesshoumaru-sama is preoccupied and nowhere to be found. Therefore I must insist you wait outside-"

Kirinmaru gave the imp a look and cut his raucous speech off with a sharp turn. " Be silent, imp. Your master is somewhere ahead; I sense his presence." Tossing his mane of maroon hair behind him, he inclined his head with the arrogance befitting a daiyoukai. " This shall not take long. As so writ by the laws of this land, I am here to pay my respects to the Great Dog General, and first-born son of my comrade. Nothing more. Rest assured, imp."

Ignoring the rest of the imp's tirade, he purposefully strode forward, footsteps echoing sharply over garden stone. Sesshoumaru was up ahead, somewhere underneath the peach trees.

And it appeared he wasn't alone.

* * *

Looking back at that moment, Kirinmaru realized there were many things he regretted in his life. All those left-behind choices flashed before his eyes. (He could have forced Rin's hand, compelling her to consume the fruit of immortality; he should have never left the mainland; he should have never fallen into the grasp of dream-sleep. He should've -)

But fate has a peculiar way of pushing through, of tangling itself into the very fabric of the universe; every single moment trickled down until its merging, forming a stream of which Kirinmaru knew the inevitably of crossing at the end. And this, he mused, was the way the world gathered it's own heartbeat up, the merging of the same story over and over again, until all the same footsteps echoed the rhythm of those who had come before.

* * *

There were two figures standing beneath the peach trees, locked in embrace.

The first stood tall; his form poised with the aristocracy of those borne and bred into greatness.

And of the second figure?

Well, ghosts always did have a strange way of walking back into his world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a LYING LIAR who writes and edits at the same pace as a SNAIL.  
> This chapter, however, has been cut in half and I SWEAR THE MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE NEXT CHAPTER.
> 
> SessRin is on the horizon! And Kirinmaru doesn't feel so good... 
> 
> Until next time~  
> Much love, Eden


	6. Chapter 6

The taller of the two first caught his eye.

The demon turned towards Kirinmaru, silken hair slicing through the air. Sesshoumaru had grown even more beautiful in the time that had passed. He looked ethereal, hallowed looks crowned with the same self-assured quality of pride left over from his past. Still in the prime of his youth, he was an imposing figure, striking in mannerism. He was poised, but _oh so_ cold.

In his arms was a young woman.

Short of stature, she was no great beauty; But there was a _glow_ around her that seemed to rival the heavens itself. She wore clothing cut from the finest of fabrics, dressed like a noble lady. And yet her feet were bare and her hair hung down around her, a curtain of perfumed black. Her slender hand was tucked in the crook of the arm of the demon next to her.

And her _smile_.

She smiled up at the demon as if nothing else existed in the world except for them.

Once, that smile had been his; and his alone.

(And here is when it all started to unravel.)

Kirinmaru's eyes met hers and suddenly, everything sharpened; like waking from a dream, it was as if his presence in the space sought to undo the spinning of fate. Or to merge into it until no seam was to remain between the last and the next.

Oh, but of all things in the world, _this_ was something he _knew_. _She_ was someone he knew.

_Rin._

And for a moment, at the meeting of these two souls, it was almost as if time stopped, suspended between the beating of two hearts that were once tied together.

But the string had been cut so long ago. And Kirinmaru had, in its place, hung grief and hurt.

At the sight of him, Rin gasped softly, suddenly, and flinched, a fraction of a movement. Her face drained of colour, ghost-white. She stood still, almost trembling, partly shadowed in the presence of her demon lover who loomed over her, half sentinel, half _cur_ , hellbent on guarding a mistress that did not belong to _him_. Or so Kirinmaru told himself, _loathing_ slowly flickering in him like the first spark of an ember.

But that was of no matter at the moment, not in the face of his once-love.

His eyes traced her face; he held his breath.

There was shock, and grief, and _recognition_ in her eyes.

Oh, that _recognition_ ; it was this light, of some understanding dawning in her gentle amber eyes, that struck him, arrow-sharp.

And in response, his heart _wrenched_ itself against its ribcage, slamming wretchedly against the bars of an iron-clad cage; for the heart is always hungering, and his demanded to strike true, to beat in the company of another again. He felt as if his chest were to split open, a reliquary of eons past; of pain and grief threatened to spill out.

If Rin _knew_ , why had she not sought him out?

And why would she be in the arms of another demon?

* * *

  
Of all things in this world, grief had eaten its fill. This is also how the story turns - lasting on the mourning of separation, of tears and bitter weeping. Life runs on the inevitability of tragedy.

And Kirinmaru now understood all this to be bitterly true.

Why does tragedy exist? Because he was full of rage.

And why was he full of rage? Because he was full of grief.

After all, not even time had cured him of his sorrow. And now, it threatened to _burn_ , to twist into a hatred so vile he felt it shake within him.

He thought himself dead on the inside at first; frozen in the presence of his ghost. But then, the hurt spread on the echoes of red-hot sorrow and tainted words spit out from a poisoned tongue.

_Betrayed._

He felt betrayed.

He had give her everything. He had _waited_ for her.

For a brief moment, his vision went _dim_ with rage and grief. By what right did Rin have to seek out the love of another demon? Not while he still lived.

And yet there was love there.

_Always love._

And so, in spite of the darkness threatening his heart, he looked at her as if he could not believe she was real. He drank in her presence; the familiar curve of her cheek, peach-pink; the way her hands clenched, leaving soft crescent moons against a rough palm; the scent of her breathe, spring-sweet in the brisk air. He felt like a holy man at the last bend of pilgrimage; the light of the divine shining bright at the end of shadows, the temptation of it _so close_.

Kirinmaru felt _damned_.

Love had proven to be bitter; and it _hurt_.

_Rin._

_Rin, with her arms entangled in the demon next to her._

_Rin, Lady of the West._

And yet.

* * *

He stepped forward.

Blindly. Instinctively.

He was _haunted_ _;_ he _wanted_ to be haunted.

If it were Rin.

 _Always_ _Rin_ _._

And so, he found himself uncontrolled; a marionette on strings, unable to stop his body from moving towards her.

Sesshoumaru suddenly appeared and mirrored him, stepping sharply towards him to bar the young woman from his gaze. Rin remained behind him, gaze now lowered and face shadowed. Her hands were clenched tight at her sides, trembling.

Kirinmaru's eyes met his; sharp emerald-green against cutting molten-gold. Some strange acknowledgement passed through them both. Not hostile, but nevertheless full of tension, thick and choking in the air.

And in face of such a challenge, the rage emerged again; it coiled tightly in him.

He suppressed it. He had to thread carefully.

Smoothing his face into a well-practiced mask of charm and diplomacy, Kirinmaru smiled." Well met, Lord of the Western Lands. It has been a while." Only the slightest of tremors coursing through his hands betrayed the emotions swirling in him.

In response, the younger demon inclined his head ever so slightly. "Kirinmaru, - " he acknowledged. His voice was deep and colder than the highest mountain stream, but there was a hidden air of reservation. "- well met, once-Lord of the Eastern lands."

Kirinmaru narrowed his eyes ever so slightly; so it seemed he _knew_.

Sesshoumaru's intonation and posture had been polite and diplomatic, as befitting of his rank and upbringing. The suspicion in his eyes, however, was hard and questioning.

After all, the son of Toga was no fool.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay - updated quickly this time! I've decided to split the chapters up so we get a bit of POV from each character.  
> I'm really sorry for all the angst-ing - esp. on Kirinmaru's end. I started this story w/ the intention of it being fluffy + smutty.... but, alas, angst just sprung up.
> 
> I know Kirinmaru's a bit of a grumpy pants here and might seem a bit ooc - keep in mind he's an "unreliable narrator" because of his hurt/jealousy at the moment.
> 
> Quote that I stole  
> “Why does tragedy exist? Because you are full of rage. Why are you full of rage? Because you are full of grief.” - Euripides - translated by A. Carson. Ya girl can't shake off her classicist roots - hence the angst.
> 
> Also, thank you to everyone who's commented. Y'all make me happy. ❤️
> 
> Until next time!  
> Much love, Eden


	7. Chapter 7

Kirinmaru let out a measured sigh, forcing the tenseness he carried in the line of his body out. He needed to appear less hostile in the eyes of Sesshoumaru. It would do him no good to antagonize the young demon further, especially since he had not brought any blatant offence to Kirinmaru; and not when the dog demon had presumably not wronged nor done anything to warrant such bristling hostility from his elder. 

Wars had been started on less.

The only wrong Sesshoumaru carried on him was the crime of transgressing on the sanctity of _his_ bond with Rin.

But the dog demon didn't know.

And in part, Kirinmaru could admit that some part of him blamed Rin too.

Rin _knew_.

It looked as if she had secrets of her own, for the dog demon had been kept in the dark. Of that, he was certain. Sesshoumaru had not reacted with the territorial aggression of a dog demon facing a challenge. After all, his kind was known for being possessive and such rivalry would have been quickly met with red eyes and bared fangs.

If Sesshoumaru had known that Rin's soul had once been with him, he would've never allowed his approach. He would've taken Rin and hidden her far away, in one of his strongholds perhaps, and not in the grandest of his courts, where access to her would be allowed, given her position as Lady of the Western Lands.

However, Sesshoumaru was no fool. The dog demon had seen the rage beneath the surface of his facade, and had witnessed Rin's flinch. Thus, the dog demon was entitled to his own suspicions - and justifiably so.

But he did not, no - _could not_ know the entirety of this age-old story that had begun so long ago.

How could he? Not when all all these things had taken place before his birth. And especially since his own dalliance with Rin- no, _his mortal_ had been struck from the face of the earth; records gone and memories wiped. Zero had insisted. His transgression could not be left to taint the annals of their history.

And so, no one remembered.

Save for Toga of course.

But not even Zero was foolish, nor arrogant enough to touch and tamper the mind of the other great daiyoukai. Not when she had been so infatuated, so _in love_ , with Toga.

Or so she claimed.

Ever the strategist, Kirinmaru narrowed his eyes and contemplated the situation. It would be better to see the extent of what the dog demon _did_ suspect.

And so, in measured silence, he watched and waited for Sesshoumaru to make the first move. _Let the youth show his cards first._

It was Rin that surprised him first.

Stepping out from the shadow of the dog demon, Rin reached up and grasped Sesshoumaru's hand; his large claws eclipsed her delicate fingers instinctively in a careful hold as he accepted her hand into his own; instincts that seemed as natural as breathing to the dog-demon.

This was no grandiose display of public affection. Rather, the dog demon had shown no degree of hesitation. This was a move meant to comfort, to show support, and to reassure. But of which who was the recipient and who, the soother, Kirinmaru could not say; the hand grasp between the two seemed to have reassured the couple momentarily as they both softened by the smallest of degrees.

Then, Rin, ever so carefully, tucked her hand under his sleeve, out of sight, and pulled at Sesshoumaru's hand. At her slight tug the demon turned his head and looked down at his wife. She gave another tug, glancing briefly in his direction, a look as fleeting as the beat of a moth's wing, before turning her eyes towards Sesshoumaru's golden stare. Her gaze was pleading and tinged with melancholy - but gentle. 

Some silent communication passed between the couple. For a moment, the two seemed to be locked in a silent conversation.

Then, Sesshoumaru's face softened by a fraction. Disregarding his audience, he carefully cupped his young bride's cheek in his clawed hand. He bent down and murmured something so quietly, not even Kirinmaru's keen ears could quite pick it up, before standing tall again.

Rin gave a quiet gasp of relief and fell silent, leaning lightly into the dog demon’s touch. She closed her eyes as if overwhelmed.

The wind picked up, sending a storm of nearby blossoms swirling into the air. With petals suspended around them, it was almost as if time had stopped for the couple. The two seemed to be in their own little world.

Kirinmaru took advantage of the instance to truly _observe_ the younger demon. While he didn't radiate the same kind of rugged charm Toga was infamous for, he was nevertheless _striking_. Father and son were truly incomparable; Toga burned slow and heavy, like echoing fire coursing through the veins of the earth. Sesshoumaru, however, radiated the pale menace of an ice-locked lake; calm and ethereal, but deadly.

And _Rin_. 

Rin was beautiful. All easy grace, with none of the false pretence of court life; she was ethereal and dignified, yet charming in a way that displayed remarkable simplicity. Her mortality held no sway over here, not when she had the once human-hating Lord of the Western Lands so enamoured with her. She held such _power_ , and it was as if she didn't know it.

They made an odd couple, he mused, ruminating on the silent communication that passed between them; the look they shared had been full of meaning; her gaze gentle; and his contrastingly stoic, but nevertheless, brimming with some unspoken vow. 

And as much as he hated to admit it, they suited each other well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still not 100% happy with this one... Might come back and revise.
> 
> Next chapter! Conversations between our trio. And a bit of sad flirting!
> 
> ~~Also - I'm terribly sorry for being so slow. BUT - I've got a v smutty SessKiRin fic in the works so maybe that'll make up for it?!~~
> 
> \- Much love, Eden


End file.
